


Moving On

by sunshineflying



Series: tshaw and evie [4]
Category: BBC Radio 1 RPF, One Direction (Band)
Genre: Kid Fic, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-08
Updated: 2015-09-08
Packaged: 2018-04-19 19:23:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,204
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4757999
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sunshineflying/pseuds/sunshineflying
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Nick and Louis have mended their relationship and now the two of them plus Evie create their own little family. As everyone's lives begin to move on past One Direction, Nick and Louis find themselves facing big decisions about their future as a couple, and as a family.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Moving On

**Author's Note:**

> Please make sure you read the other parts in the series first!
> 
> As always, thanks to Jen for giving this a look over for any mistakes and Brit-picking that might need to be done. I appreciate all your help in this verse!
> 
> Thanks to everyone who has let me talk over ideas with them -- this fic is here because of your help!

It’s astounding to Louis, how quickly Evie grows up. He can still vividly remember the day she was born, but now he’s putting the finishing touches on her third birthday party and it’s almost more than he can handle.

Nick’s been a huge help in the past six months since they’ve gotten back together. They’re strong as a couple now – Louis isn’t worried that Nick’s going to change his mind and leave, and he trusts Nick with Evie like he’s her second father – and of course, Louis likes not being alone. He likes not having to parent alone but he’s also quite fond of having someone to do the cooking and the washing.

And of course, he’s fond of the stolen blowies and rushed hand jobs they can sneak in whenever Evie’s sleeping. Naturally.

But more than that, Louis likes knowing that Evie’s got two people in her life to look out for her and take care of her. Nick’s going to be able to pick her up from nursery school since Louis will be working, and Louis gets to spend mornings with her while Nick’s away doing the Breakfast Show. They’ve coordinated their lives to accommodate each other and Louis quite likes it.

It’d be even easier if they lived together, but choosing whose flat to move into has turned into the only point of contention between them, so they reluctantly agreed to search for somewhere brand new, at Liam’s suggestion.

And speaking of Liam, he’s been a great help through everything, too. He’s always in London, willing to babysit Evie on the evenings so Louis and Nick can have their dates and go to events for the X-Factor. They’ve still got their nanny, but she’s only contracted for the months when they’re filming the X-Factor.

So now Evie is turning three and they’ve been planning her birthday party, to be had at Nick’s place since Louis, of course, didn’t feel like cleaning up his own flat. Plus Evie begged and pleaded for Pig to be invited to her party, so they figured it was easiest.

Louis is happy for Nick’s semi-organised nature because that means the party is actually going to happen, and that it’ll be perfect. Louis took the food matters upon himself – he’s got a big fancy cake coming in for her, along with some treats that he insisted Nick _not_ make, solely so they can spend the morning before the party cuddling Evie and giving her special love and attention, just the three of them.

She wakes up like any other day, thinking that nothing special is going to happen. She’s older now – nearly ready for a bed without guard rails, Nick thinks – and she’s in a purple sleeper. When she gets up she babbles loudly so they can hear her through the baby monitor. Nick’s the first awake, and he jostles Louis enough to wake him as he climbs out of bed. It’s much easier than intentionally trying to wake him and getting a rude response, even if it’s all in fun.

He opens the door to wander to Evie’s room in nothing but his trackies, and Pig trots into the room and bounces onto the bed to wake Louis. Nick can hear cries of protest from Louis as Pig inevitably licks all over his face, and it makes him grin. Evie’s standing impatiently at the edge of her cot, fluffy pink fleece blanket in hand as she reaches over the rail for Nick. “Grammy,” she smiles.

Nick lifts her and cuddles her close. “Hello, darling,” he smiles. He kisses her loudly on the cheek, drawing a giggle out of her, before he says, “I can’t believe you’re three years old today!”

“Tree?” she asks, clearly confused.

“Today’s your birthday!” he tells her. “You’re a whole year older!” Evie still looks baffled, so he holds up three fingers and says, “You’re this many now.”

Evie’s eyes go wide, because she’s been learning all year to hold up two fingers when people ask her how old she is. She tries three, but fails, so Nick reaches out to help her. When she gets it, she giggles and says, “I’m this many!”

“Do you know how many that is?” Nick asks her. She shakes her head. “Three, remember?” he tells her.

“Tree,” she repeats. Evie looks at her hands, determination on her face as she tries to put up three fingers by herself. It takes her a few minutes, but she gets it, her thumb holding down her pinky finger successfully. “Me this many! Me tree!”

“Exactly!” Nick praises.

He gives her another big kiss, this time on her forehead, and he brings her to the kitchen. “After brekkie we’ve got to put on an extra special birthday outfit for you, because today is your party,” he tells her with enthusiasm.

Evie looks beyond excited, because she loves the word party. She knows it means people – people she can impress with her knowledge of how old she is, and people who will watch her be silly and goofy in the middle of the living room – and those are her favourite things now. She’s a little tiny human with thoughts and feelings and a personality all her own, and Nick feels lucky that he’s gotten to watch it happen so far.

Louis trudges out just as Nick’s gotten Evie sat at the table with some milk, and before Louis has even stepped foot on the linoleum of the kitchen, Nick’s putting a cup of tea in his hand. He’s gotten good at this weekend routine: turn the kettle on, press _start_ on the coffee maker, put the tea bag in Louis’s cup, and then pour some milk for Evie. He sits Evie down with her milk, pours the hot water over the tea bag for Louis, and then pours himself a steaming mug of coffee. Like clockwork, it is.

Once everyone’s happy with their drinks, he pops some toast down, just in time to see Evie excitedly showing Louis that she’s learned that she’s three now. He beams proudly, and when he glances up at Nick it’s clear that he adores this little family unit they’ve created.

“I was just telling Evie that after breakfast she’s got to get dressed up nice for her party,” Nick says as he leans in the doorway between the kitchen and dining area. He takes a big bite out of an apple and as he chews, says, “People will be here soon, right?”

“Yeah, mum said they’ll all be here around half-eleven. I was thinking we could just make some sandwiches and put out some crisps or something,” Louis says as he sips his tea.

Nick nods. “Brilliant,” he agrees. “Except we haven’t got anything to make them with. D’you want me to go to the shops and get some?”

“How come it’s all gone?” Louis asks, baffled. “I swear we just bought groceries the other day.”

“Your daughter eats toast like it’s going out of style,” Nick says, just as the toast pops in the toaster, “And you ate a whole bag of crisps last night whilst we were watching the telly.”

“You were eating them with me!” Louis shouts after Nick, who’s retreated to the kitchen to put spreads on their toast.

Nick laughs. “I got one handful. Maybe two,” he shouts back. “You had the rest.”

He puts orange marmalade on Evie’s toast, and then makes a face as he spreads marmite on Louis’s. He holds Louis’s plate at arm’s length so he doesn’t have to smell it, and puts it in front of him before offering Evie hers. She eagerly grabs it and starts to munch at it, obviously happy to have breakfast in front of her.

“I’ll run to the shops after breakfast, maybe pick up a few bottles of wine for the adults to have whilst the kids are running around like mad this afternoon?” he suggests.

“Yeah, could do,” Louis nods. “I’ll try to get her to choose an outfit to wear.”

Nick laughs, because they both know full well that his trip to the shops could take a shorter amount of time than dressing Evie, thanks to the fact that now that she can speak better, she wants to make decisions all the time. Except, they’re learning, she’s terrible at it. One morning she cried because she was worried her pink shirt would be sad because she chose a black one instead.

It’s adorable, except when they’re on a schedule.

As predicted, it takes Nick a short amount of time to run to the shops. He comes back with plenty of food for themselves and all of Louis’s family, and he even has time to walk Pig before Evie’s finally dressed.

Once she’s done, she looks like the life of the party, that’s for sure. She’s wearing a football jersey, a red Doncaster Rovers one with her dad’s name and number on the back, and with those she decided she wanted to wear some bright blue leggings with Elsa from Frozen on the left leg. However, she’s still stocking footed (in her favourite pair of black socks printed with neon-coloured stars) and pouting about not having the right shoes.

Nick and Louis exchange a glance, and Nick nods. “Hold on just a mo, Eves,” Louis says, and he gets up from where they’re sitting next to her closet to go into his room.

When he does, Nick joins Evie on the floor where she’s dejectedly looking at her shoe collection. There are shoes of every colour, in every style, but she’s still not happy with them. It takes Louis a few moments, but eventually he returns and holds out a box to Evie. It’s wrapped in blue and green striped wrapping paper, and she looks at it curiously. “Go ahead, open it,” Louis says. “You get some presents early, with just us.”

Evie takes it, and her face lights up. “For m’bir’day?” she asks excitedly.

Louis smiles and nods, and in seconds she’s ripping at the paper with wild enthusiasm. Once she’s made a mess of it, she stares down at the box. It says _VANS_ but she doesn’t know what that means, not really, so Louis reaches out to open it. Once he does, she lets out the loudest scream they’ve ever heard and she pulls the shoes out of the box like they’re the greatest gift in the world.

They’re the shoes she’s been wanting for months – the plain black and white Vans that Louis has, the ones she’s been wearing around even though they smell awful and they’re at least ten sizes too big – and now she’s got her very own pair, in her size.

“Do you want to wear these today, Eves?” Louis asks.

He’s beaming, his bright blue eyes sparkling as he sees how much one gift can make his daughter glow with joy. Nick’s smiling rather brightly as well, since it had been his idea to buy them, and all.

Evie nods excitedly and sits down unceremoniously on Louis’s lap so he can put them on her. As he loosens the laces, she bounces her little feet and he can’t get her to sit still enough at first so that he can put them on her feet. Eventually, he wrestles them onto her, and she stands up and stares at them with her hands over her mouth where it’s formed into a happy, surprised _O_.

“Do you like them?” Nick asks, even though he already knows the answer.

Evie beams. “I love ‘em!” she exclaims.

“Good,” Louis smiles, tugging Evie into a big hug. “Happy birthday,” he whispers into her hair as she wraps her tiny arms around his neck. “I love you so much.”

“Love y’too, daddy,” she says, before squirming out of his arms. When she does, she turns around to rush over to Nick to give him a big hug, too. “Love y’too, Grammy.”

Nick smiles, and he looks across at Louis whose happiness hasn’t faded in the least.

Evie quickly grows bored of the lovey-dovey nonsense, and rushes out of the room to go show her new shoes to Pig. Nick and Louis stand up to follow, but Nick stops in the doorway and grabs Louis’s wrist. “Thanks,” Nick says softly.

Louis cocks his head to the side, confused, and asked, “For what?”

Nick just leans in and gives Louis a soft, slow kiss. When he breaks away, he just whispers, “For sharing.”

They’ve never really discussed it much, the role Nick’s going to have in Evie’s life, because they’re just sort of taking it in stride. They know he’s not leaving, but there’s still that awkwardness, that realization that according to her birth records, her parents are Louis and Briana – Nick’s name is nowhere to be seen. But he feels like her dad anyway, and she sort of acts like he’s a father to her, and that’s enough for them. Nick still wants to thank Louis though, because Evie’s a spectacular girl, and he could have very well said, way back at the start of it all, that he doesn’t want her to get to know people he’s dating right away.

Nick feels incredibly lucky for what he’s got so far. Louis smiles, genuinely full on smiles, because he can’t believe it’s what Nick wants, when he could have anything in the world.

A rattle from the living room pulls them from their moment and they rush down the hallway to see that Evie almost knocked over a lamp in her attempts to get Pig to sit and look at her feet. They placate Evie and Pig, and mere seconds later there’s a buzz at the door. “I’ll let them in,” Louis says, standing up. “Eves, want to come let in Nanna Jay and everyone with me?”

Evie nods, and Nick takes that final moment of quiet to sit with Pig and try to calm her down a bit before all the guests arrive and she freaks out.

Everyone piles into the flat – there are all of Louis’s siblings, plus his mum and stepdad, and Liam’s decided to add himself into the mix as well with Sophia at his side. Sophia’s helping Lottie and Lou Teasdale with the spa treatment they’re giving to the little ones, so she’s brought a whole bag of supplies. Just moments later, Lou’s arrived with Lux, and with them come Harry and Niall who had met up earlier. Zayn’s last to arrive, with Perrie, and suddenly Nick’s place feels much smaller than it did an hour ago.

“We need a bigger house,” he whispers to Louis with a laugh.

“Soon,” Louis agrees, because they’ve already got times set up with a realtor, it’s just that these things take time.”

Nick nods, and then he’s being dragged away by Evie, who really wants to show him that she’s almost as tall as Doris. He laughs and agrees that yes, she’s getting closer, even though she’s really not, because it’ll put a smile on her face and she won’t care by tomorrow, anyway.

He turns to see if he should go back to the kitchen to help Louis with sandwiches, but the lads of One Direction are all working on lunch together so he lets them have their moment. It’s been a long while since they’ve all been in the same place at the same time. Nick takes a seat on the only clear spot – the cushion right next to where Louis’s mum is sitting.

“Hello, Nick,” she smiles.

Nick suddenly feels nervous, because he’s never interacted with her, not really. He’s meeting Louis’s parents and part of him thinks it should be more monumental than this, more official. “Hello,” he replies. “Good to see you.”

Jay smiles, and she looks calm and relaxed; Nick likes that in parents. It means they’re not about to ask him a million questions to which he doesn’t know the answer. “You as well,” she replies. “How’s Evie been?”

“She’s great,” Nick says, suddenly glowing at the fact that he gets to talk about her. “I taught her this morning how to say she’s three, fingers and all.” She’s showing Perrie how old she is, currently, but she’s already forgotten the finger thing and now says she’s three as she holds up two fingers. Jay and Nick both laugh. “Well, she did it this morning,” he amends. “And she screamed our ears off in excitement, at those new shoes.”

“You boys really make her happy,” Jay observes, watching the way Evie happily plays with Lux and Doris and Ernest, Daisy and Phoebe joining in to amuse them. She’s quiet for a minute before she says, “You really make Louis happy.”

Nick turns to her and the expression on his face is that of confusion. He hadn’t known Louis talked about him to his mum a lot. “He was really bent up about it, when he broke up with you,” she says, and now she’s looking at him with an expression of sadness and it makes his chest ache. “He was so scared that he’d lost you for good. I felt for him – I really did. He clearly loved you even then, but he was so caught up in worrying about Evie…” she shakes her head. “Well, you know.”

Nick nods, because he sort of understands. Sort of.

“He came up to Donny the day after he did it,” she tells Nick. “He felt horrible. Don’t tell him I said this, but – he cried it out with me all day. Right here on my shoulder, like when he was a boy. I almost called you up and made you come see him right then, because I hated seeing him that way.” Nick wrings his hands in his lap. He’d been so caught up in feeling betrayed and upset that he hadn’t even considered how Louis might’ve been feeling, why Louis felt like breaking up with him was the best thing to be done.

“I would’ve come, too,” Nick says.

That puts a smile on Jay’s face, and Nick thinks that maybe he’s just passed a test.

“I love Evie,” Nick says. “And Louis, too.”

“I know,” Jay nods, and Nick feels a flutter in his chest because everyone knows, really. But Nick likes that he can tell them. That he knows for sure how he feels – not that he’s ever really doubted it to begin with. “I trust you with them. I think you lot make a beautiful little family.”

 _Family_ , Nick hears, and his breath catches. “You think…?” Nick begins, and Jay rolls her eyes.

“Don’t be thick,” she says. “You’re a family. Evie deserves two parents and I’m glad you’re able to be there for her, just like Louis. Briana’s great, but… I knew from the start she’d never truly be a _mum_ to Evie. She wasn’t ready. I know she loves her, but it’s different, you know?”

Nick nods in agreement. They turn back to watch the kids for a moment before Nick says, “I’d quite like to marry him someday.”

He hears the smile in Jay’s voice before he ever turns to look at her when she says, “I think he’d quite like that, too. We all would.” She pauses. “Evie most of all.”

Just at that moment, Evie runs over and shows Nick a card that she’s torn off of one of the gifts in the corner. She’s already opened it and revealed a drawing from Lux, and Nick smiles warmly as she tells him all about it, only about half of her words actually coming out in English. “Alright, I think it’s gift time!” Nick announces. “Little Evie here got started without us.”

Evie protests, but she’s clearly guilty, as there’s remnants of the card’s envelope scattered all about her feet.

They watch as Evie excitedly tears through all her gifts, and when she’s finished, there’s a big buffet of food on the dining room table, so everyone can help themselves to sandwiches and crisps.

It’s quieter after that, because Lou, Lottie, and Sophia have taken Daisy and Phoebe along with the little ones down the hall and into Nick’s rather luxurious bathroom for a spa day. Even Ernest wanted to tag along with the others his age. Whilst they’re doing that, Niall and Harry are passing out drinks even though Nick insisted he could do it, since they were the guests.

Louis shoos them out of the kitchen once they’ve finished, because they’ve started to clean up after the lunch mess now, and Louis won’t have that. He hates doing the washing but he knows how to be a good host – especially when his mum is present.

It ends up being Louis and Liam – who insists on helping _no matter what_ \-- who clean up the plates and food. They’re chatting about music and their careers and what they’ve been doing in the last couple of months since they’ve seen each other last, but then Liam changes the subject rather abruptly.

“So you and Nick are good now?”

Louis pauses, plate half cleaned, as he hears the words. With a raise of his eyebrow, he turns to face Liam and ask, “Where did that come from?”

Liam shrugs. “I mean, you’re having Evie’s party at his house, and didn’t you say you two were looking for places to live together? That’s… good, right? Like… you feel good about it now?” he presses the issue gently.

Sighing heavily, Louis sets down the rag and leans his back against the counter to face Liam properly. He’s got his arms crossed and looks rather confused. “Yeah, I do. It’s not like last time,” Louis explains. “I’m not…”

“Afraid?”

It’s not a word Louis wanted to say out loud, or even hear for that matter, because it would mean admitting all over again that he was terrified of the way Nick made him feel, of the way Nick molded himself so easily into their life. Nonchalantly, he nods and says, “We’re great now. A proper family.”

Liam smiles at that, and he asks, “Is that what you want? To have a family with Nick?”

Louis has never said it in so many words, but he’s had the feeling for a while now that Nick’s _the one_ , as cliché as it sounds. He’s great with Evie and the little family they’ve created is perfect. “I want to be with him,” Louis offers. “For like – a really long while. Forever, maybe.”

“But what about the family part?” Liam wonders. “Would you ever like… want more kids with him?”

“I’ve always wanted kids, you know that,” Louis snaps, and he’s hedging around the answer because he doesn’t want to face this head-on if he can help it. “Of course I’m going to want more.”

“Do you right now?” Liam wonders. “Can you see it happening with Nick?”

Louis shrugs. “ _I_ want it, but who knows if he does? He’s getting old,” Louis says, his excuse lame, and he knows it.

“That’s why you ask him,” Liam replies calmly. “You just have to talk to him.”

“But what if he says no?” Louis wonders before he can stop himself. He’s been worried about it for a while now, since the thought of more kids popped into his head a couple months ago.

“He’s not going to say no,” Liam answers easily. “You two are mad for each other. I think you should get a move on, though. Three years is a pretty good age gap, actually.”

Louis scowls and asks, “What’s gotten into you all of a sudden?” Liam’s sudden obsession with Louis’s family life has him on the defense, even though he knows he means well. It’s a lot to think about and he’s been focusing on what he currently has rather than what he wants. Louis doesn’t want to ask too much of Nick all at once.

He laughs off his defensive outburst by asking, “Are you jealous?”

“Shut it,” Liam says, shoving Louis playfully. “No, I’m not. Quite happy with the ring I’ve got picked out for Sophia, actually.”

Louis’s mouth drops in a scandalized _oh_ before he asks, “You picked out a ring without me!?”

Liam laughs nervously and snaps his hand over Louis’s mouth. “You were filming and I wanted to have it in time for our anniversary next week,” he says. “Keep quiet, though. It’s got to be a surprise.”

“Well duh,” Louis rolls his eyes. “I’m offended that you didn’t ask me for help but as long as I’m the first one you call when she says yes, I think I can forgive you.”

“You think she’ll say yes?” Liam asks hopefully.

To which Louis gives Liam a smack on the head, because Liam’s an idiot if he thinks she’ll say anything different.

After a lovely afternoon where the adults can all catch up with each other over glasses of wine or pints of beer, the kids come running out from the bathroom to show off their makeovers. The girls have little bits of makeup and all of them have their nails painted, including Ernest, who proudly shows off his bright blue and green coloured nails to his mum and dad.

The party rounds out with jelly and ice cream after that, and by the time the party is finished, Nick and Louis can’t be bothered to clean up the rest of the mess.

“We should, though,” Nick grumbles from where he lies on the sofa, half-asleep.

Evie is full-on napping on his chest, worn out from her birthday even though it’s not even dinnertime yet, and Louis slumps on the sofa next to them. “Tomorrow.”

“We’re looking at houses tomorrow,” Nick argues. “Five of them.”

“The day after, then,” Louis suggests.

Nick sighs, because if Louis is as particular about homes as he is about other things, the house-hunting might seep into the days and weeks ahead. He doesn’t press it though, decides that if it comes down to it, they can hire someone to do it for them. Nick would much rather curl up on the sofa with Louis and Evie and take a nap before dinner.

\--

It takes them a nap plus a long night’s rest to sleep off the exhaustion of the previous days party, and even then they’re not nearly as reinvigorated as Evie. She’s eagerly bouncing around the house, this time wearing leggings and a tank top even though it’s early spring and not quite warm enough yet, because she says it matches her Vans. She’s dressed in all black and looks remarkably like Louis – Nick likes it.

They drop her off with Lou and Sam, who set up a play date for Evie, Lux, and some other friends of Lux’s, which means Louis and Nick have the day to themselves for lunch and plenty of house hunting.

If they thought birthday parties were exhausting, it’s nothing compared to tracking all over London and its surrounding areas to look at homes. The first is too small, the second is too public (Louis insists on having security), and the third and fourth are just all wrong (whatever Louis means by that, Nick will never know).

They’re both tired of house hunting by the time the realtor brings them to the fifth and final property. Between Louis and Nick’s incomes they know they can manage the cost of this home: it’s larger than the rest, with more bedrooms, yard space, and special features like a sauna. Louis wants to be able to take Evie out for a kickabout, wants a yard where the dog can run around and get fresh air. He wants the privacy, too.

The house is huge. There are four rooms versus the three they’d been looking for, plus a media room with a sound system and another room meant just to be a bar and entertaining space. It’s got a stream along the back of their property line, separating them from the house across the way. Louis doesn’t look excited though, like Nick is.

Nick knows they’re both exhausted, but he quite loves this house with its welcoming, homey feel in the warm wood colours and bright paints. It feels like a place they could call home.

The realtor leaves them alone to look around one more time before they leave, and Nick follows as Louis makes his way down the upstairs hallway, where the bedrooms are. The master bedroom is on one end of the hall, and two of the three remaining bedrooms are at the other end. Louis stands in the doorway of one and says, “Evie would like this room.”

“Yeah, she would,” Nick agrees. “It’s yellow already, just as she likes.”

Louis smiles. He’s glad they hadn’t brought Evie; she’d never want to leave the room if she’d seen it. Louis crosses the hall and stands in the doorway of the other room. It’s a pale green and it feels terribly lonely, not having someone to fill it.

Nick steps up behind Louis and places his large, warm hands on Louis’s hips. “But if that room downstairs is supposed to be the music room, then what do we do with this one?” Louis wonders.

Nick smiles and nuzzles Louis’s neck. “Another baby,” he whispers, barely audible as he buries the words in Louis’s warm skin.

Louis closes his eyes and his heart races. Nick hears his breath catch. “You…?” Louis tries, speechless.

“Yeah,” Nick nods. “I do. If you think we’re ready.”

Louis turns in Nick’s arms and looks up at him nervously. “Newborns are a lot of work,” he warns.

Nick swallows. At least it’s not a no, he thinks – though it’s dreadfully far from a yes. “I think I can handle it,” he replies. He pauses a beat. “It won’t be like with Evie,” he adds, guessing at Louis’s concerns. “We’ll be doing it together.”

As Louis swallows, Nick watches him closely, his stomach tangled in knots because the prospect of Louis saying no is more than he’s really prepared to handle. He wants this; he knows he’s ready for it.

“We’ve got to find a surrogate, then,” Louis settles.

Nick quirks an eyebrow. “We do?” he asks. He’s impartial, really, as to how they acquire their baby. All he knows is he really wants one.

“Yeah,” Louis nods. “And you need to be the sperm donor. I want a little you to be a sibling to little me.”

And Nick breaks out into a big, wide grin because he’s never heard anything more adorable come from Louis’s mouth, ever. “Okay,” he agrees. “I think that’s an awfully good reason.”

Louis smiles, and they’re only startled out of their moment when the realtor clears her throat where she’s standing just out of eyesight in the hallway. “So what do you think?” she asks as she walks in. “Shall I keep looking for places to show you?”

“We’d like this one, please,” Nick says at the same time that Louis answers: “We’ll take it.”

She nods, pleased to have made a sale, and as she leaves and says she’s going to draw up the paperwork, Louis smiles and looks at Nick. “Love you,” he says happily.

“Love you too, darling.”


End file.
